


To You Who Rejected Me

by TheDyingMoon



Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Demons, Elves, Epic Battles, F/M, Fantasy, Love, Magic, Redemption, Rejection, Soulmates, Tournaments, Trials, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDyingMoon/pseuds/TheDyingMoon
Summary: ~ A V X Elf!Reader set in an Alternate Universe where magical beings may, or may not, coexist with Humans and Demons.~ Something tells V that the girl, who just arrived at the doorstep of Devil May Cry that one uneventful day claiming to be their ally, could not be trusted. For one, he knows that she is different. He feels a strong surge of power emanating from her, and this leads him to push her away despite the unconditional kindness she has shown him and his allies. Until the inevitable happens, leading to the destruction of Devil May Cry, and a broken heart. Left with more questions than answers after the unbelievable revelation regarding her kind, V goes with Dante towards the uncharted land where she lives, leading them to more wonders, and dangers, of the Elven world. And on that treacherous land, V realizes the gravity of what he has done - of breaking the heart of the girl who loves him above all else. The Elf,... who would do everything in her own power to keep him safe from harm.
Relationships: Dante (Devil May Cry)/Original Female Character(s), V (Devil May Cry)/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue

Rubble. And debris. And destruction.

Every place their eyes landed, there's nothing but the cold and harsh reality of the complete and utter destruction of the one place they called home. Despite the fact that they hardly called it that due to its,... unnatural and chaotic nature.

And now,... there's no more unnatural, or even chaotic, place called home.

 _ **Devil May Cry,... was destroyed.**_ Reduced to a pitiable pile of smithereens.

And Dante, the son of Sparda, and the Legendary Devil Hunter, couldn't blame anyone else for the unfortunate occurrence other than the other person who survived the sudden assault.

The man,... who was standing next to him.

"HEY! WHAT DO YA THINK YE'RE DOIN'?!" A very curious - looking demonic bird with glowing blue feathers screeched at the Devil Hunter, who grabbed his Master's lapels and almost lifted the poor man off the ground.

"This is your fault, V!" Dante howled.

"And how is this," The man called V wheezed as he grabbed Dante's hand, trying to get the larger man off him. " ... my fault?!"

"You shouldn't have broken her heart! Now, look what happened to the shop!" Dante let go of the helpless V as he scanned the area for any piece of furniture that survived the onslaught. " _Freaking Elves_ ,... hey!" The man called, trying to get the attention of the one Elf who saved them from the attack. "Where do ya think you're going? You're just leaving us here after what happened?"

The Elf in question turned towards the men, her blue eyes full of scrutiny and disgust. "I have saved you, lowly mortals, from your own demise, and yet you mock my own kind?!" She glanced at V and gave him a look of utter hatred. "And my own sister, _the future Queen of our land_ , falling for the likes of you?! You, who will perish of old age or wilt of illness? You, who are loyal only to the desires of your own flesh?

"You, a mortal who stooped so low as to make a pact with,... _Demons_?" The Elf emphasized the word as if she was disgusted with the mere mention of such Underworld beings, and this offended the demonic familiar so much that V has to summon him back to prevent even more conflict with her. "How,... _shameful_!" She turned once more and walked away from both Dante and V.

"Hey, hey, hey, lady!" Dante, who easily caught up with her, stopped the Elf, grabbed her shoulder, and forcefully made her turn to face him, which angered the being even more. "Just walkin' away after all this, huh? And what about my shop? You and your Elves caused this! I'm neck deep in debt. I can't afford to rebuild this! You'll have to pay for the damage!" The man turned around just in time to see more and more people gathering right before them to witness what was going on.

"I don’t care! You should not have hurt and cornered her to use her power to begin with! Maybe then she would not be traced here in the first place! But, of course, you, mortals, have weak, pathetic, and closed minds!" The Elf swatted Dante's hand off her, turned once more, and went on walking.

"How could we know? We didn't even know she has powers in the first place!" Dante argued.

"That's because you, men, are so _dense_." The Elf answered with much emphasis on the word as she gave V a sideways glance. "And now, my sister has to pay for exposing our kind to the likes of you!"

"The Elves who caused this, the ones who traced her here," V, who was trying to catch up with both Dante and the Elf, added. " ... they will not stop until we’re both dead, will they?”

"Naturally. You just know too much." The Elf answered with disdain. "Now, if you, two ingrates, would not mind, I would return to my home and see for myself just how much damage my sister's blunder have caused because of you."

"Where is your home?" Dante questioned.

"It does not concern you."

"And how do we, _weak, pathetic, and closed - minded mortals_ , defend ourselves from your kind, **_O Great One_**?"

The Elf, who didn't fail to catch the sarcasm in Dante's voice, stopped walking and placed her hands on her hips. "That is your problem!" She, then pointed an accusing finger at Dante. "You know what, I should not have helped you when all the payment I got for doing that is you pestering me with questions I will never answer! I' am also putting myself in grave danger here just by talking with you!" She raged on, then looked once more at V. "I should have let you die because you deserved it!" The woman turned away and finally left them.

Dante sighed as he watched her leave, crossing his arms and feeling the exhaustion creep up his system for the first time that day. He, then, looked at V and saw the man actually catching his own breath like he has just finished running a marathon.

If the Legendary Devil Hunter only knew,...

... the mysterious man known only as V has more things in his mind during that moment. He was confused, tired, shocked, even.

And he has,... a lot of questions.

Questions that needed answers.

"So," V looked up upon hearing the confidence in Dante's voice. " ... wanna go after the chick you just rejected?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You have a score to settle with her and I have to make those Elves pay for what they did to my shop. What do you say about following that high and mighty Elf back where she lives?"

"A score,... to settle?"

"Eh, yeah! None of this would happen if you didn't break her heart in the first place."

V winced at those words. _Did he,... really break a girl's heart?_

"I,... don't even,..." _Like her_ , is what V wanted to say but, then again, he has made it quite clear to her.

And up until that very moment, he still couldn't shake the haunting image off his mind. Of her wide (E/C) eyes, of her tear - stained cheeks,...

... of the way she drew back and clutched her chest as if something unimaginable and really painful struck her heart,...

"I know. But," Dante answered in a much calmer tone. " ... you know how women are. Well, yes, she's an Elf but, sure! They're all the same. You know what I'm saying?"

"No."

"Oh. Right." The Devil Hunter answered, realizing that V doesn't have any experience with women unlike him. "The point is, we're both doomed here, V. And if what that Elf said about other Elves going after our necks because we know too much about them is true, then we might as well go to their den and face them head on! Bring the fight to them!”

"But, they're much stronger than the both of us. You've seen it with your own eyes."

"Eh, whatever!" Dante questioned as he started stretching his limbs in a clear gesture that he was fully accepting the challenge. "We'll see about that!" The man picked up his Devil Sword on the ground among the rubble and started walking towards the direction the female Elf went to. "Come on, Mister Poetry! She's quite slow, we're gonna catch up to her as soon as we could!" And with a smile, he added, "And you might as well use that poetry of yours to win back that girl. Or you could just say sorry, your call."

V wasn't able to do anything else but to pick up his metal cane from the rubble and go after the man in red. It's true what Dante said about those Elves paying for the destruction of the Devil May Cry but,...

... going after the girl, and facing her head on?

He knew that the catalyst to all of these events was him, his distrust, and his callousness. However, he never dreamed of breaking a girl's heart, let alone one who has enough power and influence to bring forth this chain of events that were starting to unfold right before his very own eyes,...


	2. The Perilous Road

"Where are we, anyway?" Dante asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his grimy and sooty sleeve.

"Swan Lane." V answered unceremoniously, never taking his eyes off the dark road.

The Devil Hunter in red clicked his tongue and smiled sarcastically. "Swan Lane, huh? How does Mr. Poetry know about everything, huh? How does he know about everything?"

"Idiot!" Griffon, the demonic familiar who was conveniently flying above them, screeched. "Can't you read the sign?!" Using his wing, the bird pointed at the wooden sign post just behind V, and sure enough, it said, _**Swan Lane**_ in bold letters.

Dante's eyebrows almost shot up to his hairline when he finally noticed the sign. He, then, collapsed on the wooden bench next to V, who has been sitting there for the last few minutes, also tired and worn out beyond belief.

"Eh, whatever,... " Dante breathed out with an exasperated sigh.

V has always known about Dante's questionable life decisions, whether big or small. In fact, it was very safe to assume that it was because of him that his younger brother was able to get through some of those weird and sticky situations. Sometimes, well,... let's just say that Dante has a considerable amount of sheer luck, and that was a fact.

Dante, with his sword and his guns a - blazing, was always the one who rushes into things, and V, with nothing but his brains and sheer wit, was always the one who goes after him. Dante, the younger Sparda, was always the one who makes mistakes, and V, the elder Sparda ( or, more accurately, the _middle_ son ), was always the one who untangles the knots, and never the other way around.

However, the same could not be said about the Sparda brothers' current situation. For this time, V was the one who messed up, and Dante was the one who made the initiative to fix things.

And mess up _so bad_ , the poet did.

Utter frustration eating away at him like a fire consuming a candle, V groaned inwardly, covering his eyes with his hands and trying to rub the tiredness from it. Fatigued, famished, and thirsty, the poet tried time and time again to remind himself that, if it weren't for his carelessness and callousness, they wouldn't be stuck here in the wild in the first place. No Elf, or any other kind of magical creature for that matter, would be after their skins, and the Devil May Cry shop would still be standing proud and undamaged, messy or not.

But, no, that was not the case.

V's overly suspicious mind has made him deal the first blow, and that action alone has led him and his brother to a chain of events that they have never imagined. Not in their lifetime.

And because of that, not only were they fatigued, famished, and thirsty. They're also homeless, clueless, and hunted by a group of powerful creatures known only as Elves. And V could not deny the fact that it's the worst thing possible because, unlike Demons, Elves don't just get destroyed that easily with mere weapons.

They're even more resilient and stubborn than V could've imagined.

The brothers tensed at the same time. They felt someone, or something, observing them from afar.

It's _them_. And they caught up with them.

Griffon, who also felt the powerful and familiar presence, landed on V's waiting arm. "V, what do we do now?" The bird whispered at the same time they felt some movement not far from them.

The tensed and yet cautious Dante, whose teeth clenched the moment he finally noticed the many shadows and silhouettes that were stalking them just across the road from where they were, reached for the sword behind his back, his fingers clutching the hilt without so much of a second thought. "Do we even have another choice?" He whispered in response to Griffon's question, his tone low and devoid of that usual excitement whenever he's facing his enemies.

"Can we even beat them?" V whispered back, his grip on his cane getting tighter and tighter the moment the evening breeze subsided and his surroundings became much more hushed. A sign he's not very fond of.

"We must." When Dante uttered those words, the brothers heard a voice shouting something in some form of an unknown language, and the moment they heard this, they felt something coming rapidly towards them. It was in the form of a gust but, not just any kind of gust. The brothers realized this when it destroyed the bench they were sitting on, along with the asphalt beneath it and the wooden signpost that said, _**Swan Lane**_ behind it. If it weren't for Dante's incredible and inhuman reflexes and Griffon's amazing speed when he carried V, they would've been as good as dead.

"HOLY MAMA IN HELL, WHAT WAS THAT?!" Griffon, who was carrying V high up into the air, frantically shrieked. And even before V could answer, he heard two distinct voices from below shouting the same thing he heard earlier, and once again, a deadly gust of wind was summoned. But this time, it was headed directly up into the air where he and Griffon were.

V reacted with haste. Summoning as much demonic power as he could, he slashed his cane in mid air, the action and the power channeled to the antique metal enabling him to create six to eight violet blades of light that intercepted the gust of wind, breaking it and weakening the attack. However, a small amount of this mysterious and powerful gust went through V's summoned blades and hit Griffon straight in his right wing.

"FUCK!" The familiar screeched in agony as he rapidly went down with his master, unable to bear the pain. "DIRECT HIT, V! YOUCH!"

V clicked his tongue and let go of Griffon's talon, landing on the ground next to his brother, who started shooting at the enemies with his Ebony and Ivory. The familiar went back as tattoos on V's body and only then did he finally realize the number of Elves assaulting them.

"They're faster than the Furies!" Dante howled as his bullets missed the enemies yet again. The Devil Hunter shot a few more rounds that hit some and missed the others. However, the bullets didn't seem to do any damage. The blur of black cloaks went on circling the brothers as if to corner them, getting faster and faster as the seconds went by. At first, the strange movement of the Elves gave the brothers an impression that they were only trying to subdue them in some way, but then, the sudden change in the air made them realize.

In utter fright, V and Dante found out that the Elves were trying to suffocate them.

Dante has had enough. He drew the Rebellion and in an instant, V has figured out what Dante wanted to do.

"STOP!" V wheezed as he blocked Dante's way using his cane as an extension of his arm.

"THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!" Dante howled, his voice already changing, his gentle blue eyes, now gold and bright, glowing in the darkness.

"NOT HERE! PEOPLE WILL GET KILLED!" V tried to reason, already feeling a heavy burden weighing on his chest. The sons of Sparda were slowly suffocating, and they must think of a way to retaliate without wreaking havoc in the nearby city were people slept peacefully. "Let me!" V offered, and as much as the younger brother hated this decision, Dante suppressed the power within him and tried to calm down.

With determination in those green eyes of his, V tapped his cane on the ground, summoning Griffon once more, along with another kind of demonic familiar that crawled on the ground like black smoke. This smoke pulsed and emitted some form of strange light, and a few moments later, it morphed into the shape of a fierce panther with glowing scarlet lines all over its body.

"Just so you know," Griffon began as he soared high above their heads. " ... I can read Shakespeare's mind. AND YA WON'T LIKE WHAT'S IN IT! SO, FUCK YEAH!" The familiar said as he spread his wings. Little sparks of electricity ignited in the tips of those glowing blue wings of his and crawled all the way to the red markings on Griffon's body. In mere milliseconds, the light gradually grew brighter and brighter, creating a kind of power that came out in the form of lightning. This power came down, striking the panther - like Demon on the ground right before V and Dante, and the moment this mysterious familiar gathered the power from Griffon, it morphed into a huge black whirlwind that not only threw the Elves off balance but shot numerous electric blades as well, striking the enemies and rendering them motionless due to paralysis.

"That's a doozy." Dante admitted with a nod.

"They won't stay that way for long." V informed his brother, and, surely enough, the Elves were already trying to fight the paralysis off. "We must go." Looking up at Griffon, he said, "I leave this to you!"

"RIGHTO!" Griffon, who was still sending power to the other familiar, answered.

"Let's go!" Dante said as he turned the other way. Picking up the dregs of the powerful aura left by that stubborn female Elf who helped them earlier, the brothers ran towards the far north where they started seeing the edge of the city that led to a vast ocean.

"It's a dead end." V, who just reached the edge of the cliff, uttered.

"No." Dante answered. Pointing at the vast sea, he said, "The traces of that Elf's power went all the way through there."

"Are you,... _sure_?" V questioned, unable to believe what Dante just told him. "No one can't,... it's impossible!"

"Hate to break this to ya but, I hope you have strong lungs, V." His brother said as he began running towards the edge of the cliff to jump. And if it weren't for V and his metal cane getting in the way once again, Dante would've plummeted straight to his death.

"Look." V pointed with his cane at what's below them, and Dante saw the rock formations that could very well kill the both of them should they dive right in without so much as a second glance. And when Dante clicked his tongue in frustration, V felt his power go back to him, which only meant two things:

His familiars already ran out of power, and the enemies are on their way towards them.

"Look, I can easily navigate through those rocks, but you can't! And I can't just leave you here!" Dante growled as he felt the enemies getting closer and closer to them.

"Just wait! There must be some other way that Elf went through those rocks without getting hurt." V insisted, already hearing the many footsteps of the enemies.

Dante clicked his tongue once more, helplessly searching for that other way V was insisting on, and a few moments later, he felt it. The younger brother looked down and, sure enough, there really was something in the waters near those rocks just below them. V followed his brother's gaze and noticed a faint glow of light in those waters. And from that faint glow of light came the same power and aura that the female Elf left. Indeed, she has been there.

They both knew what they must do. They can't afford to hesitate. Not now.

The younger brother looked at V. "Ready?" The moment his sibling agreed with a nod, Dante faced the waters once more and dived right into that faint glow of light with no more second thoughts. And as V was about to follow suit, he heard those familiar voices once more, which meant that they were, again, summoning those gusts of wind to bring them down.

 _We'll get through this_ ,... V thought as he jumped,...

A searing and blinding pain shot through V from his left foot to his upper body. He wanted so much to howl in pain but, not now. Not now when he was so close to his destination. He was close, so close,...

Another scream he heard above the cliffs summoned what he felt was the same power that rendered his left foot useless, and when it made contact with the rocks just next to the faint light where Dante went into, it exploded and scattered, blocking V's view as well as the spot where he must go to.

The explosion. The burning pain in his foot,...

The ones who summoned such power were the same Elves who destroyed the shop. And they finally caught up.

But, V was not too late. He made it! He made it in time just as the glow in the water was about to vanish,...

Another shout made V look up, and he saw a huge fireball coming rapidly down his way.

V dived mere seconds before the fireball reached the surface of the water, but it made a really strong explosion that knocked him and sent him plummeting further down towards the bottom of the sea.

Hurting, powerless, and helpless. V's sight was getting more and more blurry as the dark, vast, and cold watery grave embraced him tighter and tighter, as the Elves sent fireballs after fireballs of destruction after him, until his eyes could no longer remain open,...

Until he could no longer feel the pain,...

V's eyes snapped open once more as a blinding flash of light that seemed to emanate warmth appeared right before him, blocking and disintegrating the fireballs that assaulted him. The mysterious figure, which slowly morphed into something that looked ethereal, made one gesture with its disembodied hands, summoning such incredible power that countered the enemies attacks and almost sliced the water in half. The figure made one last move with its hands that finally stopped the enemies from attacking.

But, V was too weak. He wouldn't be able to see the end of this battle. He wouldn't even be able to see the surface again.

He wouldn't be able to see her again,...

He felt those disembodied hands reaching out to him, pulling him closer to the surface, guiding him.

Everything was quiet, everything was calm.

Before he closed his eyes, ready for death to claim him, he felt such unbelievable warmth coming from those hands that pulled him. Then, he felt even warmer the moment the creature engulfed him in an embrace that made him feel safe. And protected.

He wanted to see who saved him, and he wanted to succumb to its protection but, his eyes and aching body wouldn't let him.

The last thing he felt was an indescribable softness, and the last thing he heard was her voice,...

**_Thank you so much, V!_ **

**_V, I want you to have this,..._ **

**_V,... why?_ **

Then, he closed his eyes,...

***

"V. V! Wake up!"

The man opened his eyes, his body still feeling a bit heavy and his head a little bit dizzy. The way the sun shone brightly above him gave the impression that everything that happened to them the night before was just a mere illusion but, the pain he could still feel all over his body, not to mention the numbness in his left foot, told him otherwise.

Wincing a bit in pain, he sat up with the help of his brother and tried to shake the fuzziness off his head.

"What happened?" V asked Dante.

"You almost died out there but, you made it just in time." His brother answered as he tapped V's bony shoulder.

His trembling hand went up to his forehead the moment he remembered how the Elves attacked him, and how that mysterious figure saved him. If anything, he shouldn't be alive. V knew that.

Looking up once more, V let his eyes wander around their surroundings where he saw nothing but peace and calm.

"Where are we?" He asked.

"Ahh,... " Dante scratched the back of his head, looking really clueless. "I know this sounds crazy but, we somehow made it to another country with that portal."

"Portal? Where exactly are we - ?"

V struggled to stand up with the help of Dante, and when he finally saw the ruins not far from him, he finally realized,...

"Delphi." V said, pure and utter disbelief eminent in his low voice. "We made it all the way to Delphi."

***


	3. The Translucent Gateway

_**“As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,** _   
_**Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,”** _   
_**She does not weep nor wail,** _   
_**In her eyes, home has always been burning.”** _

***

"Now, where could that thing be?" Griffon mused to himself as he flew high above the shores of Delphi, looking for that vital _something_ that his master lost when he dived into the ocean to escape those fire - wielding Elves attacking him. The demonic bird has been searching for almost an hour but, with no such luck. "Honestly, it could turn up just about anywhere!" He complained in utter frustration. "This is hopeless!" 

The bird was about to give up on his search when he noticed something _gleaming_ at the corner of his eye. He looked down and squinted those golden eyes of his until he finally saw the _thing_. Indeed, it was right there, washed up on the shore and almost covered with sand and sea weeds.

There it was, V's antique metal cane!

"There ya are!" Griffon flew down to fetch the thing, at the same time shooing the sea gulls that were trying to claim it as their own like it was some kind of a rare sea artifact, almost fighting over it. "HEY, I SAID, SHOO!" The familiar screeched once more as he let out a weak electrical current to scare the noisy birds away, and it worked to perfection.

"Hoho! Thought I'd never see ya again!" Griffon opened his talons wide, ready to pick up V's cane,...

"What in the - ?!" The bird muttered the moment his talons came into contact with the metal cane. It felt somehow _hot_ , and not just warm. He was not sure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him but, the thing did seem to _glow_. And finally, the metal cane seemed to tremble a bit against his talons, like it was _alive_. _**Sentient**_.

Still hovering above the sand with V's metal cane in his talons, the demonic bird squinted his eyes in suspicion. Master and familiar alike knew that the cane was nothing but an old piece of metal, and not a source of any kind of power, demonic or not. An aid for V's,... _disability_. Nothing more.

However, despite that, Griffon could feel _something_ coming from the cane. Like it was emanating some form of unknown power. He just knew it deep within his core.

But, being unimaginably tired after what happened last night, Griffon ignored the cane, ruffled his feathers, and flew back to where Dante and his master were.

"I'm heckin’ tired." Griffon uttered as his wings took him to his destination - the ruins of Apollo's temple. "I'll let Shakespeare deal with ya."

"Your foot seem fine to me, V." Dante said for the third time since morning. 

"I could've sworn I felt this,... excruciating pain when I was attacked,... "

"Well, your foot seem,... fine to me!" And that was the fourth time since morning. "Look, V: you're a son of Sparda. Maybe the Demon blood's finally kickin' in and healed your wounds?"

And to this, V only shook his head. It's impossible for him, after all.

No matter how much or how intense Dante stared at his brother's allegedly _injured_ left foot, he just couldn't find anything wrong with it, save for the missing pair of the poet's old gladiator sandals, and the frayed, almost tattered end of his pants, like something burned it. If anything, to Dante's eyes, V only seemed to have lost the other pair of his unspeakably tacky footwear. And a good riddance to it, if he may add! To the legendary Devil Hunter, it seemed so difficult to move and fight Demons with such footwear. And he would never deny that fact, despite knowing that he could hurt his brother's feelings for having such a questionable taste in fashion.

On the other hand, to V, it was an entirely different story. For, only last night, he swore his foot got burned badly due to the attack. So badly and so painful, he was actually scared to look at it.

And now, as he looked, no, _stared_ , at his foot with disbelief, he couldn't help but feel utterly mystified. First, there was this strange presence that saved him from the enemies, and now this.

It's as if nothing happened to his foot, at all!

And honestly? V could not believe his sheer, dumb luck.

Or, was it even luck?

After all, since those Elves, and _her_ , entered their lives, V and his brother experienced nothing but the unusual. The unknown. And he felt that he must learn to accept such things. Get used to them, so to speak.

V pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and knitting his eyebrows as a helpless sigh escaped his parched lips. Well, there's no use raking up the past. They must focus on the present. They must focus on the _now_. And for now, they must focus on getting to the Elven world in one piece. The portal led them to Delphi of all places, and V knew it meant something. They were getting really close to their destination. And he knew they would face an even greater danger when they get there. Well, it's not like the Elves would give them a warm welcome or anything. They're still wanted persons, after all.

Opening his eyes once more, he noticed Griffon flying towards them, finally carrying his lost metal cane. He gave a weak smile as the loyal familiar gave the cane back to him and landed on his waiting arm.

Then, V noticed something strange. So did Dante.

"No wisecracks or something?" Dante asked the demonic bird as he crossed his arms and tapped his boot on the ground.

"You do seem a bit quiet." V added, raising his eyebrow as he looked at his familiar.

"Ahh, V," Griffon stuttered, unsure how to begin. " ... didn't ya notice anythin',... _weird_?"

"Pardon?" The poet asked as Griffon's eyes wandered to the metal cane in his right hand.

"That _thing_!" The demonic bird squawked.

"Ugh, now what - ?" Dante began when a woman approached them, getting their attention and making them drop their conversation, much to Griffon's frustration.

"Can we help you, lady?" With a flashy grin, the younger brother graciously asked the woman, who was smiling nervously as her eyes went back and forth from him, to V, to the strange avian on the poet's arm.

"I, ahh,... " The lady stuttered, not sure how to address the situation.

"Yes?" And Dante didn't seem to help with the situation, at all. The woman became somewhat more nervous than before she approached them.

Inhaling through her nose and clearing her throat, she began. “Yes, well," She said, pointing at Griffon with a trembling finger. “The other guests are getting anxious of your,… ahh,… _**pet bird**_."

"Is that so?" Dante answered with a boisterous voice. "Don't you worry a thing about our _**pet bird**_! You see, he's a rare - "

_**“I see. Don’t worry.”** _

All of a sudden, V heard a clear and distinct voice, overlapping with the woman and his brother's voices.

_**“These are my loyal,… companions. They would bring no harm to any of the innocent people here. That,…”** _

V's hands went up to his temples as he tried to distinguish and trace where the voice was actually coming from, when the voice itself took over his hearing, drowning out the other voices, and all the other noises going on around him.

_**“I can assure you.”** _

The lady let out a helpless laugh, then nodded. “Okay. Whatever you say.” She hastily moved away from Dante to give herself a safe distance from him and Griffon and clumsily pointed at the breathtaking horizon. “Well, now, enjoy your stay here at Delphi!”

The woman, being proud of herself for handling the _difficult_ situation, walked away with a huge smile on her face. And Dante, being a huge flirt, started following the woman.

However, when his brother stepped away, V noticed something taking his place where he stood.

V's eyes narrowed for a second for what he saw. He closed his eyes, rubbed the tiredness and fatigue off them, and opened them once more. However, despite that, the strange figure was still there.

V saw,... _**himself**_.

And he, _**the other him**_ , was drinking in the beautiful sight of Delphi's ruins around him.

“So, V,…” He heard Griffon ask all of a sudden. “Are we going to look for that thing there?”

"I'm sorry - ?" V turned to his left to look at Griffon but, the demonic bird was nowhere to be found.

 _ **“Not this time.”**_ V turned towards his other self at the sound of his voice and noticed Griffon, himself, flying towards him. _**“For now, I need to take a rest and reflect upon our journey, so far.”**_

V almost fell off the old bench he was sitting on.

That voice,...

... it really was _**him**_.

But,... _**how**_?!

“The Yamato really does wonders, huh?” the Griffon who was with the other V said, then chuckled, ruffling his own feathers in delight with tiny shakes. “Who knew it would go directly to you and not to that kid Nero?”

"The Yamato?" His other self whispered as V followed him and his familiar on their way towards the ruins of Apollo's temple. _What has the Yamato got to do with all this?_

“For one thing, I’ am the rightful owner of the Yamato, not the boy Nero.” The other V answered as he skipped some rocks along the pathway that led to the ruins of the temple. “I think it was fitting that it answered to me. But, as grateful as I’ am that it was returned to me,” he said, stopping at what looked like the remains of an altar. “I must not abuse my fragile body by using it over and over to transport us. You see,” He began tracing the remains with the tip of his cane. “It consumes way too much of my,… demonic power. I must be wary of that fact.”

 _Of course_ , V thought as he observed what the other V was doing. _I don't have,... that much demonic power._

“Aha, so that’s why we had to hitch that stinkin’ bus ride with that awful bitch! Didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut!” And the other Griffon sounded less rude, either.

“Now, be nice to our little human.” V reprimanded the demonic bird. “We will _’hitch’_ on the same vehicle on the way back.”

“Ugh! Not again,…”

V watched in amusement how this other Griffon threw tantrums. However, his other self drew V's attention back. He was looking at the altar with an unreadable expression, tracing the edges of the marble altar with his cane.

Then, all of a sudden, he started reciting the few lines of a poem that was very dear to him. It was,...

_**“As she comes to the city, hollow hands empty,** _   
_**Eyes open to what lies in wait for her,”** _

His mother's favorite poem,...

V closed his eyes and recited the old poem along with his other self.

_**“She does not weep nor wail,** _   
_**In her eyes, home has always been burning.”** _

His eyes closed, his senses surrendered to the vision before him, he allowed nostalgia to take over his entire being. Of his mother reading this same poem to him, of her tales about a Princess named Cassandra who was gifted by the God Apollo with the curse of predicting the future,...

... of this hidden gateway of Delphi where she went to after being rejected and stoned by her own people,...

V opened his eyes, feeling something pulling him back from his reverie to the present, like a powerful force.

It was then when he was greeted by the sight of a morphing demonic entity right before his other self, who he assumed was one of his familiars.

He watched in awe as the familiar morphed into multiple pulsing dark vines that filled the entire altar. Him and his other self took a step back as roses of all shapes and sizes sprouted from the dark vines, and when his other self pulled something from the largest rose, his eyes grew wide with shock.

It was the Yamato, only it was glowing in a very unusual way.

V wanted to listen more, to know more, to watch what happens next but, the vision itself began getting blurry as their voices became more and more warped, like a disrupted signal of an old television. The vision, and the voices, warped and warped, until only a distorted and blurry version was left. And before the vision entirely vanished, V saw his other self raising the sword,...

... and slicing the air before him, creating a portal that led him somewhere,...

"V!" He heard Dante's voice from afar, like he was being called by him from the other end of a long tunnel. "V!" He felt a strong hand go down on his shoulder, making him turn around. "What are you doing? I was looking all over for you!"

The poet could barely believe what just happened. He was back, and he felt like he just woke up from a very long dream.

"I, ahh,... " V stuttered, turning back to the altar and seeing nothing there.

"Hey, V," Griffon, who just landed on his waiting arm, asked. " ... are you okay?"

"The gateway,... " The poet uttered, the vision he saw still crystal clear on his mind.

"What gateway?" Dante questioned.

"There's a gateway here." V reiterated as he walked closer towards the altar where his other self vanished. "It was opened using the Yamato."

"How did you know that?" With a raised eyebrow, Dante asked in confusion. "And besides, even if that's true, we can't really use the Yamato. I mean, it's with its owner on the other side of the globe right now."

"We can't rely on Vergil this time, I know." V answered as thoughts and ideas ran through his head like an unstoppable drill. "But, what if the gate,... was left _open_? What if it was never closed?"

Dante's mouth fell open at the possibility. Only a slight drawback made him close it again and shake his head in disapproval. "But, I see no gate here! All I see in this place are rocks and statues and ruins and tourists everywhere."

V turned to Griffon, who drew back at the intensity in his master's facial features. "Do it."

"Do what?" The familiar questioned.

"Distract the people while I look for the portal."

"How could I do that?! How am I - ?!"

"Alright! I'll do it!" Dante offered, turning away from them and walking away from the altar as he began singing something. And it's working. The tourists, especially the ladies, started listening to him and flocking before him. _ **"I'm lying alone with my head on the phone, thinking of you 'till it hurts,... "**_

V grabbed this opportunity to look for the portal. He can't be wrong, the vision can't be wrong! They must get to the Elven world and he would do whatever it takes to get there.

He will do whatever it takes to get to her and fix this huge mess that was messing with their lives,...

It was then when he noticed something small and gleaming right before him. He reached out a single finger to touch it, and lo and behold, the small gleam made a tiny ripple that reflected so many bright colors. Like a prism. Another touch of his finger produced a huge ripple, revealing its true nature in all its entirety. Indeed, it was a gate. In the form of a curtain that was seemingly made of glass that reflected light like numerous precious gems.

"Whoa! That looks so unreal!" Griffon, who watched the entire thing with curious eyes, said in awe. "How did you know all this, V?!"

"I'll explain later." The poet answered. "For now, we should press on."

 _ **"I'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you - "**_ Dante sang with much gusto, wowing his audience, when he suddenly heard a familiar whistle. He stopped singing and turned around to see V beckoning for him to come join him and Griffon. The Devil Hunter turned back to his audience, made an incredibly believable shocked expression, and pointed at the sky. "Thunderstorm! Incoming thunderstorm! Run and hide for your lives!"

The people instantly believed him, scrambling and running all over the place to shield themselves from Dante's imaginary thunderstorm. The younger brother took this opportunity to join V.

"How in the world - ?!" Dante began questioning at the sight of the translucent gateway but, he was cut short as Griffon went behind him and started pushing him towards the gate.

"I'll explain later! We must hurry!" V ordered, then went through the curtain, looking as if he just vanished into thin air.

"Let's get goin', lover boy!" Griffon squawked, grabbing onto Dante's shoulders with his talons.

"I swear I need to go to therapy after all this." The Devil Hunter said as he, too, went through the curtain and vanished.

***

A few moments later, Dante arrived at the other side. But, his path was blocked by V, himself, who was standing still, his back turned away from him.

"You alright there, V?" Dante asked as he scratched his temple in confusion. "Aren't we - ?"

"Yes, we are." V cut him off, raising his metal cane and using it to point at something before the two of them. "We have finally arrived."

The younger brother followed V's line of sight, and what he saw before him simply took his breath away.

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

***


	4. The Elven Realm

A few moments later, Dante arrived at the other side. But, his path was blocked by V, himself, who was standing still, his back turned away from him.

"You alright there, V?" Dante asked as he scratched his temple in confusion. "Aren't we - ?"

"Yes, we are." V cut him off, raising his metal cane and using it to point at something before the two of them. "We have finally arrived."

The younger brother followed V's line of sight, and what he saw before him simply took his breath away.

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

***

"Holy mama - !" Dante breathed in awe at the marvelous sight.

And who could blame him?

What V and Dante saw was a small group of herders, men, women, and children, walking towards the edge of the forest not far from where they were.

However, the brothers were aware that this group of people weren't just mere herders. Aside from the fact that they were dressed entirely different from the tourists and locals of Delphi, the animals that were with them were the kind that the brothers haven't seen before. In fact, it was safe to say that they would never see those kinds of creatures roaming around where they came from.

They were horses and stags. But, not just any kind of horses or stags.

The horses have two pairs of wings, a pair of twisted horns, like a goat's, and the smallest of them stood at least seven feet tall. The stags were of the same height as the horses but, they have long and twisted horns that seemingly gleamed when exposed to direct sunlight.

And they looked absolutely breath taking.

"Those horses don't look like Geryons to me." Griffon, who let go of Dante's back and landed on V's waiting arm, whispered.

"They don't look demonic to me, at all." Dante added.

"Look." V whispered, pointing at the group of herders, and Dante and Griffon did as they were told. The children, aside from the fact that they looked unearthly beautiful for their ages, seemed to _float_ with every step they make. Like they were _hovering_ when they skipped. And the adults? Aside from the fact that they were the most graceful group of people the brothers have ever seen, their ears,... were _pointed_.

"Do you think those are," Dante whispered. " ... _Elves_?"

"The peace - loving kind, yes." V answered as quietly as he could.

It took them quite a while before they could even make a single move. Seeing all these were foreign to the brothers, and they simply couldn't take their eyes off the otherworldly sight. And when they finally vanished through that forest, they realized that none of them has made a single move to go on with their quest.

"What now?" Griffon asked a few moments later.

"What?" Dante answered absent - mindedly, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the Elves and the strange creatures walked.

"We can't just stand here all day! Ugh!" Griffon screeched, his shrill voice piercing through the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. "V, what do we do?"

"We go through that forest and follow those Elves." The poet answered, not sure what to do next after that. Which proved how unprepared they really were in going through with this wild plan.

Dante and Griffon didn't say anything else as they finally made the first step towards the Elven realm. And as they ventured, they saw more and more wondrous sights before them. The wild and exotic birds that made unique and curious little noises. The soft, sentient glow in the grass where they walked. The pastel colored sky where other, unknown creatures of all shapes and sizes freely flew. Even the sweet scent of the cool air. Everything looked and felt amazing. Breath taking.

And as they were about to enter the forest, V turned, took one last look at where they came from and saw, with wide awed eyes, the temple of the God Apollo.

Except that it was no longer in ruins. It stood tall and proud and majestic. As if the gears of time turned to restore it to its former glory and honor.

As if it was never destroyed by war, or time, or people who turned their backs on Apollo and neglected it.

*

Their short and peaceful walk through the forest proved to be their only reprieve from the things that were about to come their way.

As much as they wanted to stay longer in the forest, to see more strange creatures, to look at the weird and wonderful plants, flowers, and trees, and most of all, to rest their tired bones, even for just a little while, they still, unfortunately, have a score to settle. A problem to solve. Not to mention a group of murderous Elves still hot on their trails. So, they couldn't afford to stop now. Not now when they've come so far. They must go on with their journey.

And as their eyes wandered through the city they just entered, they felt more and more unsure of what to do next. For one thing, some folks were beginning to notice how strange they looked. Plus, they haven't eaten breakfast.

V, on the other hand, would not be deterred by hunger. Never.

"I think we should start looking for her." V stated, ignoring his rumbling stomach, as he cautiously looked all over the place.

"Where should we begin? I mean, look at this place!" Dante said as he waved a hand on what's before them: a bustling crowd amidst a busy town with small white buildings and stalls owned by merchants offering all sorts of food and items. "At least this thick crowd is good for some cover. Those killer Elves won't even realize we're here."

"I got some disguises!" Griffon, who just flew down carrying some stuff on his talons, happily and proudly announced.

"How and where did you get these?" V asked as he received some clean white linens from the demonic bird.

"From an old man with funny ears. And oh, I _asked_ nicely." Griffon answered, and V knew it was a lie.

"Hey, this would totally help!" Dante agreed as he took one hot pink linen from the familiar's talons and covered his head and face with it. "How do I look?"

V didn't utter a word in fear that he might offend his brother because of how hideous he looked, and instead focused his attention back to the busy crowd. "I wonder if they're celebrating something?"

"Who knows?" Dante answered in a higher pitch in an effort to disguise his voice, as well.

"Put on yer disguise, V! We have a lot to do and we must hurry! Chop, chop!" Griffon commanded as he put on a polka - dot patterned linen over his head to cover his horns. Which, unsurprisingly, didn't do really well for a disguise.

"How do we do this? Do we just ask around?" Dante asked, once again in his high - pitched voice, as he pulled the linen lower to his face.

V narrowed his eyes at his younger brother for his shenanigans, and pointed, with his cane, at the tallest and most imposing building he could see from a distance. "The Elf who rescued us said she's the future Queen. Assuming she's a Princess," He brought down his cane, wore the white linen like a scarf around his neck, and gestured with his head towards that building he was pointing at. " ... it would make perfect sense if we go look for her there first."

Dante, with his mouth wide open, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right." He said in his normal voice. "Let's do this."

The three did not waste any more time. Squeezing in through the crowd of Elves dressed in all manner of weird and wonderful clothing, they made their way towards the castle but, the closer they got to it, the harder it was to walk through. And as they got closer and closer towards the huge iron gates of the castle, they found out what's causing all of this.

Apparently, a bard and a jester were performing on a platform right in front of the gates of the castle. And what's more, a group of heavily armored guards were on stand by next to the platform.

Which spells trouble for V, Dante, and Griffon.

"How do we get past that?!" Griffon, whose talons held onto V's back, said, craning his neck to see past the sea of heads to witness what's going on.

"I guess we just wait for this clown show to finish." Dante answered as he crossed his arms and started to casually watch the said clown show.

"Then, we make our move." V added as he watched the jester perform magic tricks as the bard sang in time.

As the crowd went _ooh_ and _aah_ with every trick the jester performed, V noticed some kind of pattern in his movements. He saw how the jester manifested some rings of energy of different sizes and colors with his fingertips, scattering them around him and invading the entire stage. He also noticed how the bard, despite him not knowing a single word of what she's singing, pronounced the lyrics, like she was actually reciting some form of poetry, and not just any kind of song. V saw how the jester made those rings of energy with each phrase she sang, and when the tone of her song got higher and somewhat more ominous sounding, the jester suddenly spread his arms wide open. And when he brought them together with a loud clap of his hands, the rings moved, ascending into the sky with such speed. 

The crowd got even more excited as the jester started performing some kind of a ritualistic - looking dance, and the rings of light started moving towards the middle, slowly aligning, as the bard went on singing. With one last snappy movement of the jester and with the highest note of the bard's song, the rings finally aligned, then merged into one huge ring which reflected so many colors. And when the performance ended, the ring exploded, its many colorful shards filling the air and falling down on the audience. 

V noticed everyone around him catching a shard of their own as a souvenir, so he did the same. And what happened next made his eyes wide with both surprise and amusement. The shard transformed into a piece of paper the moment it made contact with his skin. And on the piece of paper were words written in a language he, of course, couldn't understand.

And with that final magic trick, the crowd finally started to dissipate.

"I can't wait to see the Convergence!" A young girl dreamily told her friend as they made their way back to the market area of the city. "I want to see it with my own eyes."

**_Convergence?_ **

"I agree with that." Her friend answered. "Fifty years is just too long for such a spectacle."

"I don't care! As long as I get to witness the Millennial Coronation, I'm satisfied."

**_Millennial Coronation?_ **

"V, look!" The poet heard his brother's voice, and when he turned his attention back to their mission, he saw the guards leaving the platform to open the gates of the castle.

"Now's our chance!" Griffon whispered as he moved closer to V.

V hid the piece of paper in his pocket and followed Dante on his way to the gate.

_This is it! It's all or nothing,..._

"Where," All of a sudden, they heard a voice behind them, startling them and making them turn around in caution. " ... do you think you're going?"

When V saw the man who spoke those words, he felt a chill run up and down his spine in a very awful manner. Dressed and poised in a very intimidating way, with his weapon, a long sword, drawn and in clear view, V couldn't help but feel both nervous and slightly frightened before him.

V knew his limits. He can, more or less, analyze how strong his enemy is. V knew when or when not to attack.

And this,...

_**This was definitely one of those times they should avoid having a fight,...** _

The man before them smiled, his green eyes shimmering with threat, and his hard, yet ethereal, facial features seemingly mocking their very existence. "Well?" He pressed on, authority emanating from that single word alone.

"Oh!" Dante stammered, again in his high pitched tone. "We're here to,... ahh,... visit someone! Yeah."

 _Fuck!_ V savagely thought. _Not now, Dante. NOT NOW!_

But, V knew warnings were useless now.

"And who, might I ask, is the person you wanted to grace with a visit?" The man pried even further.

Dante's eyes grew wide as he held up a single finger. "The Princess! Yes!"

"Gahhh!" Griffon whispered as he hid his face with his wing in shame of what Dante just did.

"THEM!" They heard another voice, and when they turned to see who it was, they saw a short old man with long and twisted ears pointing an accusing and shriveled finger at them. And to make matters even worse, he was accompanied with a group of armored guards.

_The old man with the funny ears!_

"THEY STOLE MY TOILET LINENS!" The old man howled in agony.

"I'm surprised!" The man boomed, grinning as he pointed his weapon at them, making the other guards do the same. "I didn't know the Princess is expecting a couple of thieves as guests!" And with a sudden frown, he added. " **Mortals who associate and procreate with Demons**!"

_Fuck,... - !_

Despite V's warning, Dante unsheathed his Rebellion, clearly looking like he was awfully itching for a good fight. And when he snatched the pink linen from his face, threw it on the ground, and gave a challenging look, he spoke, "Took you long enough to figure that out." He drew his weapon and gestured with his finger, taunting the Elven male. "Let's rock, Legolas!"

"Oh, sweetheart, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into,..."

None of them, even Dante himself, was able to attack the moment they heard that silken, female voice and felt a powerful presence just behind them. And even when they turned around to see who, or what it was, they only felt wind pass through them like they were nothing.

"Pulling magic tricks, eh, Legolas?" Dante said and was about to raise the Rebellion when he suddenly stopped moving.

_**Like something was controlling him.** _

It was too late. The moment Dante howled with pain and dropped his weapon to the ground, a woman with long, platinum colored hair emerged from behind _Legolas_ and winked at him.

_It was her. That powerful presence V felt,..._

**_It came from her._ **

_Legolas_ nodded with approval at the woman. "Wonderful as always, Gladiola." The man said and pointed at Dante with his sword, who was still struggling where he stood. "Do your work, my sister." He commanded with such spite.

The poet tried to react in time. He raised his left hand, ready to snap his fingers to summon his strongest familiar when the woman named Gladiola made a gesture with her fingers. And when she did, V instantly felt numb all over his body. The action she made also forced Griffon back to his body as tattoos, and the moment she made another graceful and fluid gesture with her fingers, both he and Dante fell on the ground, defeated without even a single fight.

 _So, this,... is the power of the Elves,..._ V thought as he helplessly watched the man sheath his sword, satisfied with the victory his sister has brought him.

"D - don't,... you dare - !" Dante growled through gritted teeth as he watched the guards take the Rebellion and V's cane away. He looked up and saw Gladiola smiling down at him, her gaze both alluring and deadly. She walked closer towards him, knelt down, and touched Dante's hair, the action instantly knocking him out unconscious. She, then, stood, and went straight to where V was.

The last things the poet saw before he closed his eyes were her melancholic green ones, and her stoic facial expression as she laid a hand down his head.


	5. The Elf Gladiola

  
Many feared Gladiola, even the ones who lived outside the city. They see her as the most powerful Elf next to the Queen, who has never showed herself for almost five centuries. And due to the Queen's lack of public appearance, Gladiola's family was given the task to protect the Elven realm and the royal families who lived in it. They stood as the sturdy wall protecting everyone from the threat of their worst enemy, and without them, chaos would spread across the land.

Everywhere she went, Elves and all other creatures bowed before her as a sign of both fear and respect. Men trembled where they stand when she passed by, and women simply wanted to be like her. Her brother valued her as his most powerful ally, his trump card that never lost a single battle.

There was not a single soul in the land who didn't know her face and the frightening prowess that came along with it.

Gladiola's eyebrows slightly raised in a matter of a millisecond the moment she heard laughter coming from behind the heavy wooden doors of her brother's quarters. She stopped for moment and waited, her arms quietly resting on her sides, and a few moments later, the doors finally opened.

And from those doors, two women wearing such heavy makeup and overly - ornamented clothing came out, looking quite bedazzled and over the moon. The moment they saw Gladiola standing before them just outside her brother's quarters, they instantly stopped giggling like a pair of inexperienced school girls who just got caught by their terrifying tutor and bowed before her.

Gladiola ignored them, letting them walk away, and entered the room. There, she found her almighty brother in his casual clothing, looking relaxed and carefree, sitting on a plush sofa in the middle of the room just next to the massive window overlooking the entire city.

"Sister! Welcome, welcome." Her brother greeted cheerfully, beckoning her to come closer.

Stopping a few feet away from her brother, she went down on one knee with her head bowed down low and spoke, "How may I be of service?"

Her brother leaned in closer, and with a knowing smile, he said, "From now on, I want you to watch over those prisoners from the mortal realm. I want you to keep an eye on them, and if necessary," The smile vanished from the handsome male's face, to be replaced with spite and anger, and added, "I want you to give them a fierce punishment that they would never ever forget. Something that would scar their mortal existence forevermore. That one in red," He said, his fists clutching, a vein visibly popping from his forehead. " ... he annoys me very much. He calls me by this name which I do not have the slightest knowledge of. If he misbehaves, I want you, my sister, to take care of him in the language we, Elves of the High Race, know." His frown vanished to be replaced with that knowing smile once more as he leaned on the sofa and crossed his legs. And in a much calmer tone, he said, "I want you to do it now."

"But, Gladiolus, I' am here to visit my sister to - "

"You can do it next week during the Convergence." Her brother cut her off in a venomous tone. "Are we clear?"

The female Elf looked into her brother's eyes, ignoring the strange little red marks on his neck which were fairly hidden by his long platinum hair, and asked, "Is there something else you need me to do?"

"None," He answered as his slender hand glided over his beautiful platinum strands of hair. " ... as of the moment."

Standing tall and proud and with another bow of respect, she answered, "Very well. As you wish,... brother." She turned away from him without another word and made her way towards the door. She could hear the faintest sounds coming from behind it. Laughter? She opened the doors and lo and behold, behind them stood two females, looking very much like the first two who just left a few minutes ago, who were shocked to see her inside her own brother's quarters. The ladies, like their predecessors, stopped giggling and made way for her.

Behind her, she heard her brother exclaim, "Esmé! Carla! Ladies! Such an honor to see your lovely faces." And before she closed the heavy doors shut, she heard his voice once again, "Do ignore my sister. She's only a bit, ahh,... stoic,... "

***

The curious sounds made by his brother and those two women were still fresh on her mind when she went towards the other end of the castle where they were holding the mortal prisoners they caught yesterday. And as she walked down that dark hallway towards the west wing, she couldn't push the foreboding feeling off her mind. It nagged at her, actually begging her to turn around and leave. But, she knew she must do her obligations, no matter what.

And when she arrived on that one cell, she saw one of the men, the skinnier one, sitting forlornly and quietly across his companion who was still sleeping and snoring quite obnoxiously. He was reading a book, his eyes focused on it like his life depended on it.

He knew she was there but, he didn't even turn his head towards her in acknowledgement. There was clearly a hint of confidence in the way he carried himself despite his fragile - looking frame, and Gladiola felt right then and there that she must take extra care around him. She was strong but, she knew how to take a second look at her opponents. She knew when not to underestimate them.

"If you are here to torture us with your,... Elven ways," Still not taking his eyes off his book, the man told her in a deep and calm tone. " ... then I' am obliged to tell you that you have to wait for a bit longer. I'm afraid to say my brother's," He looked up, not to look at her but at the man who was still sleeping in front of him. " ... knocked out quite good." His eyes went back to his book, a smirk gracing his lips. Turning a page with his strangely tattooed hand, he added, "And is nowhere near waking up."

Gladiola smiled at such confidence. He really didn't know what he's gotten himself into. "And what, pray tell, do you know about the Elven ways of torture?"

His eyes left the book and he finally looked at her in the eye.

And those green eyes of his,... there was not a hint of fear or even insincerity in them.

In fact, that gaze of his did seem to look like he was actually challenging her in some way she couldn't quite explain.

"Given the fact that I' am,... unable to summon my familiars here,... it's safe to say that," He said, giving clear emphasis on each and every word, and paused. He, then, closed his book, got up on his feet, and faced her, simply towering above her. " ... your methods are quite," That pause once more. And with that smirk of his, he finally dropped the word. " ... unorthodox."

The female shook her head as she crossed her arms. Looking up at him with an equally confident smile, she informed him, "The cell you are in are made for prisoners with magical abilities. The very materials used in constructing this state of the art room could restrict all forms and types of magic from all known creatures. I'd say, the only thing that is unorthodox here is my presence." Gladiola went closer to the man. Standing a foot away from the cell bars that separated her from the prisoner, she added in a soft whisper, "Be a sweetheart and try to behave yourself. My brother has no qualms of sparing the likes of," She stopped mid - sentence to give a disgusted glance at the other person, now drooling and mumbling something inaudible in his sleep, then looked at the man once again. " ... you. A snap of his fingers could very well spell your own doom."

For a moment, the man only looked at her with such an intense expression, and a few seconds later, he gave his answer with a nod. "That,... I understand. Although," He stopped and gave a knowing look at his companion, who began to stir in his deep slumber. " ... you might also want to inform him of that." Looking at her once more, he walked closer towards the cell bars and took a hold of them with those tattooed hand of his. Leaning a bit closer to her, he whispered, "We don't stand for anyone who destroys people's houses, not to mention the attempt to murder the innocent."

The intensity in the man's voice almost lured Gladiola to the edge. However, unlike her brother, she's very patient. Reining in her temper, her powers, and the urge to knock the man down and make him kneel before her, she said in an authoritative tone, "Accusation of murder against the royal family could lead to your demise. I suggest you be careful of what words to utter in my presence."

And to this, the man only raised an eyebrow. "That's quite,... confusing."

"What is?" Gladiola questioned him. "What's difficult to understand in - ?"

"You mean to say you go about killing innocent people, and you simply get away with it because you're royalty?" With furrowed eyebrows and curled lips, he tightened his grip on the cell bars and leaned as close as he could get to the female Elf. And with that unnerving smirk of his, he said, "How,... perfectly convenient that is."

"I said it once, and I will repeat it one last time." Gladiola gave the man a challenging look as she braced herself for what's to come. "Accusation of murder - "

However, something in the man's eyes made Gladiola's own wide with disbelief. Something in the way he stared her down told her that he was gravely and utterly serious with what he just revealed. Not only were his words intense. His eyes also gave the impression that she and her people were, in fact, the ones who were at fault, and not them.

Those intense jade gaze of his sent a clear message that he wanted to be heard, and he would not stand by idle without defending himself, for the sake of fair justice.

Gladiola was about to go on with her statement when the two of them heard a loud and awful yawning coming from the floor to her left.

"Oh, wherefore art thou, oh Romeo,... " The man in red mumbled in a husky voice. "Thought Vergil fell asleep and left the t.v. on the Boomer Classic channel again. Turns out you two, nerds, started chatting without me." The man looked up and winked at Gladiola, flashing her his toothy grin. "Sounds a bit unfair, eh, babe?"

Almost fuming with rage at how this insolent man called her attention, Gladiola tore her gaze off the men and walked away, not wanting to do something unnecessary to them. She was far superior compared to the likes of them, and she refused to lower herself to their level by simply being lured by their innocent facade of a bait and actually using her power against them.

Then again, she was given a clear and direct instruction by her brother to punish them should they misbehave. Everything with regards to their fate was left entirely to her own hands.

But, then, at the last second, she refused to lift a single finger. She could easily wave her hand and break their necks but, something pulled her in and prevented her from doing so. She had no difficulty whatsoever in dealing with the nitty gritty side of her responsibilities but, there was something in that man's eyes, something in his words and the way he looked, that made her pull back.

That confidence. That dignity.

That,... conviction,... that they weren't the ones at fault.

Maybe it was a fluke of fate that made her deal with the dark - haired man first. Maybe next time she would deal with the filthier one instead. After all, he seemed very easy to manipulate,...

Her thoughts about the prisoners, especially that dark - haired one, were still going about her already preoccupied mind when she went back to her brother's quarters that afternoon. And there, she found him dining sumptuously with a large group of servants waiting for him and bringing him whatever he needs.

And when he saw her, he was quite baffled and alarmed. Offended even.

"Sister! Do you mind? I'm in the middle of my feast, and it seems you have forgotten you are not allowed to join." Her brother snapped at her, his eyes furious and his eyebrows knitted.

Gladiola fell on one knee and bowed her head. "My humblest apologies, dear brother."

Gladiolus sighed and shook his head. Snapping his fingers at one of the servants, he asked her, "What is your business here at this ungodly hour of the day? And you better make this visit worth my precious time."

The Elf Gladiola slightly lifted her head. Searching for her brother's gaze, she spoke, "The prisoners are awake. What shall I do with them?"

To this statement of hers, Gladiolus' hands froze in mid air as he was about to receive a bowl of grapes from a servant. And the servant, who was expecting the male Elf to take the bowl from her hands, made an awful mistake and dropped the bowl to the floor, breaking it and shattering it to pieces.

This made the male Elf even more furious. " YOU, STUPID LOW LIFE! DO YOU REALIZE YOU COULD'VE WOUNDED ME WITH YOUR CARELESSNESS? YOU, MINDLESS FOOL - !"

Gladiola looked away from the nasty sight of her brother and the poor servant being screamed at. Trying to drown out his awful voice, those words uttered by the dark - haired prisoner went back into her head.

_You mean to say you go about killing innocent people, and you simply get away with it because you're royalty?_

_How,... perfectly convenient that is._

"BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT, YOU, USELESS LOW LIFE!" Gladiolus yelled, pointing at the servant and finally making her leave, which also made the others nervous because of his unpredictable temper. He looked at everyone in the room and went on, "What are you staring at? GET BACK TO WORK!"

The servants snapped off their frightened state and went on with their jobs, even though they looked like they were trembling from where they were standing.

Gladiolus closed his eyes and pursed his lips, balling his fists, then slamming them on the table. Looking at his sister, he said, "Do whatever you want with them. Toy with them, torture them, I don't care." The man leaned forward and pointed at his sister, who was still kneeling on the floor before him. "And should they step a toe out of line, kill them. I want them out of the way as soon as possible."

Gladiola searched his brother's eyes, pondering what to say to him. And seeing only unbridled fury there, and something else that she couldn't quite tell, she bowed her head and got up on her feet. "As you wish, dear brother."

Gladiolus sighed and covered his eyes with his hand. Leaning back into his plush chair, he said, "Get out of my sight. And never make the same mistake of ruining my supper again."

*

She has only been halfway through the day and already, Gladiola witnessed some things she never expected to see. Some,... _changes_ ,... she didn't expect to witness. For one thing, his brother's female callers often visited now compared last week. Despite knowing full well what they came there for, at the back of her mind, she knew that at this time of the year, her brother shouldn't be,... _indulging_ ,... in such worldly things.

And another thing. Since yesterday after they caught those mortal prisoners, something in him changed drastically. Well, he has always been quite the arrogant member of the family but, his attitude has dropped to the lowest in mere hours after throwing those mortals in their rightful place.

The Convergence was fast approaching, only six days left. And he, as a tournament competitor representing their race, must be in perfect form in order to win. Although it was clear that no one could best her brother when it comes to strength, she knew that he still shouldn't be too careless and negligent. As a warrior, herself, she knew that.

However, the way he acted when those mortals came,...

He never reacted in such a way with all the other criminals they caught in the past.

There was something that Gladiola was not seeing clearly. This piece of information was still playing in her mind when she saw one of the servants on the way to the prison cells, bringing some food. The servant saw her and immediately fell on his knees as a sign of respect.

"My Lady." He greeted, the tray of food, which contained only a piece of stale bread and a mug of water, still in his hands.

"Are these for those mortal prisoners?" Gladiola asked.

"Yes, My Lady." The servant answered, his head still bowed.

"Hand me that tray."

"P - pardon me, My Lady?"

She was not surprised to see the shocked face of the servant when she took the tray from his hands. What shocked her was the sight that greeted her when she arrived at the mortals' cell. She expected the men to make a ruckus and say all manner of awful things at her the moment she arrive but, no.

They were doing something else. They were,...

... passing around a piece of paper folded multiple times to make a form of some sort of flying animal.

And not just any type of paper. They were playing with the Convergence Tournament invitations passed out by the High Court's Elven Jester just yesterday!

Such,... blasphemous imbeciles!

The one in red noticed her presence and turned around to smile at her. "Oh, hey! Nice to see you back, babe. Ouch!" He winced in pain as the pointed part of the paper hit him in the temple. He caught the paper and scrutinized it like a critic. "Nice work, V. Now, this is some well - made paper crane."

"I did my best." The dark - haired man, whose name was apparently V, answered with his smirk.

"Alright, let's do the Yamato next - "

"Ahem!" Gladiola cleared her throat, calling their attention. The men did look at her, however, she suddenly felt a bit awkward around them, watching them play carelessly like that as if their lives were not in danger. "I brought you your supper."

"Finally! We're starving here, you know - ?" The man in red was about to get the tray from Gladiola when she pulled it away from his grasp, which earned her a pout from him. "Whoa, playing hard to get, eh?" The man smiled as he withdrew his hands. Leaning against the wall and crossing his legs to make himself look casual and comfortable on the floor, he smiled, tilted his head to the side, and said, "I guess this is the part where we answer your questions. Or else we get no food for the day, isn't that right?"

Gladiola raised her eyebrows and mimicked the man's moves. Sitting on the floor and carefully setting the tray aside, she said, "Shouldn't you be clamoring for your lives? Shouldn't you be begging me to save your skins from the wrath of the Elves?"

The man and V looked at each other, and a few moments later, they laughed, causing Gladiola's ears to heat up.

"Nah, that's only in movies! We don't do that!" The man in red answered with a wave of his hand. "After all, even if we do that, your brother would still have us killed, right?"

To this, the female smiled. "You might say that." Gesturing towards the men's filthy appearances, especially V with his missing footwear and tattered pants, she added, "Looks like you've been through a lot to get here."

"You could say that." The man answered. "Your folks just won't leave us alone. So, we decided to pay you a visit to talk things through. Isn't that right, V?"

"Indeed." V simply answered.

Gladiola absorbed this piece of information and went on with the interrogation. "If I'm not mistaken, you think our kind has been trying to murder you."

"Yes, and well, they destroyed our shop." The man in red said with an awkward little smile. He held up his finger and uttered, "Which reminds me! I haven't even paid the rent, water and electricity. So, you might as well give us - "

"Elven troops would not make a single move against anyone unless they were instructed by someone of royal blood to do so." Gladiola interrupted. "You knowing the existence of our kind is one thing. But to actually incur the wrath of the royal family, you must have done something awful and beyond pardon."

The man in red pursed his lips as he swallowed. Looking at V, who chose to remain silent, he explained, "W - well, it's a bit complicated. See, my brother here - "

"We only wanted to speak with the Princess." V cut him off mid - sentence. Giving Gladiola a look that was so different from what he gave her earlier, he said, "To solve a,... misunderstanding."

The female smiled as she nodded. "The Princess, I see. Well," She leaned against the wall and regarded V with a look of pity. " ... I might as well inform you that you will have a hard time convincing the council of your innocence with that awful, petty reason."

"And why is that?" V asked her.

Leaning forward and a bit closer to the cell bars, she said, "I'm the Princess." She ignored the man in red's dumbfounded facial expression and went on, "If you talk like that, surely, the council would think that I've been tolerating your actions, and believe me when I tell you this - no one would ever believe a single word you say."

"But, that doesn't make any sense!" The man in red spoke. "That angry female Elf, whoever she is, said she's gonna be the future Queen or something! She must be the Princess, then! Or you're just lying to us."

"I speak no lies." Gladiola answered. "But, if you're talking about the future Queen, then you must be referring to Galatea's descendant."

"Ahh,... what?" The man in red, who seemed to have become even more confused, questioned.

Gladiola shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You'll be dead, after all." She grabbed the stale bread from the tray and handed it to him, who took it a bit hesitantly. Watching the man break the bread in two and give the other piece to V, she said, "You said you're brothers."

"It,... doesn't matter." V answered, receiving the bread from his companion. "We'll be dead, after all."

"Anything else you wanna know?" The man in red asked, taking a bite off the only food he and his brother have. "I can sign you an autograph or bust a sick move before you hang me and V."

"There is another thing."

"Neat. What is that?"

"Those Elves who attacked you. What do they look like?"

"Dark, depressing." The man said as he received the mug of water from her hands. "Oh! And have I mentioned they looked like Voldemort's clones? But with noses, I'm sure."

"Voldemort?" Gladiola muttered in confusion.

"Dante, she doesn't know Harry Potter." V said, receiving the mug of water from him and taking a sip from it.

"Ah, yeah. What I mean is," The man in red, called Dante, looked at her eyes and held up his hands, doing weird gestures with them as if he was trying to perform a cheap magic trick. " ... they wore cloaks and they have magic!" Dante laughed at what he just said and did as he received the mug from V. "Hahaha! Eh, seriously though. We just want our shop back. And V here just wants to talk to (Y/N). Settle things with her." He smiled and winked at her. "You know the drill. After that, we'll quietly go home and consider all of this circus show just water under the bridge. A murky one at that! Still water, though."

_So, it really was (Y/N),..._ "With her, I see. I'm sorry." Gladiola got up on her feet and took the empty tray with her. "I'm afraid to say you won't be able to speak with her for the next few centuries. As you've said, she's the future Queen. She will be during the Millennial Coronation. And her King would be decided with the upcoming Convergence Tournament."

"Let me guess." Dante held up a finger once more. "Legolas. He's one of the competitors for her hand?"

"How can you tell?"

Dante gave her that carefree smile once more. "I've seen enough fantasy movies with Patty to know where this is going. Right, V? Ehh, V?"

Gladiola didn't stick around to know what V's answer was. All she knew was that he seemed have become so crestfallen and confused the moment he found out about the Millennial Coronation and the Convergence Tournament. She also found out that the mortal men proved to be utterly innocent, no matter how odd they seemed,...

... and that the command for their murder didn't seem to come from any of the royal families.

Those Elves who attacked them, the ones Dante was talking about,...

... she knew they answered directly to her brother. Not to the current Queen or anyone else's, royal or honorable. They answered to him and him alone. She knew that.

But, why? Why would her brother kill these innocent men?

Unless,...

Gladiola didn't bother to knock at the door and just barged in completely unannounced that evening. And this time, she saw her brother having a meeting with several generals who have come directly from all the royal families of the Elven realm.

And when she entered the room, all of them seemed to look at her as if she was low life.

"Sister. Such a surprise you have to grace us with a visit. And right in the middle of an important meeting." Her brother said, a vein popping from his forehead, clearly from preventing himself from lashing out at her. "How,... very considerate of you."

_You can't hurt me. You're a coward._ "We're talking about _secret_ meetings. I, as the General of your army, elect myself to be included."

And to this, the men, including her brother, all laughed, as if her words just then were utter trash.

"I assure you, sister, there's no need for your participation!" Her brother wheezed in between his boisterous bouts of laughter. "Soon, the forces of all the royal families would form the greatest alliance the Elven world has ever seen. They would all answer to me! When I' am King, no one would be able to topple us. And you, dear sister," Gladiolus went towards her. He, then, held her hand, and looked at her straight in the eye. " ... with your power, you would lead my legion. Together, I as King and you as my right hand, we would rule all the realms of this universe. And no one could bring us down, not even the Demon Sparda, himself." He, then, turned towards the men and spoke in a much louder voice. "Isn't that wonderful, gentlemen?"

Gladiola waited for their voices to dwindle down, and when they did, she took her hands off her brother's grasp and smiled up at him. "I believe you got it all wrong."

"Come again?" Her brother questioned, that vein popping up once more.

"(Y/N)." She answered. "My sister. She is the one who decides the fate of the Elven realm. Not me. Not even you, future _King_. You will answer directly to her, and not the other way around." Gladiola ignored the angry faces of the men in the room, including his brother's, and went on. "And who's to say you'll win the Convergence Tournament? You never know, _someone_ who is stronger might be able to _defeat you_."

"And who would that be? Those mortals?" Gladiolus bellowed, once again making the men laugh. "They won't be able to defeat me! They can't even beat you! Besides," Gladiolus went back to the table and took his golden goblet. " ... they will stand on a trial tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises. And they will be persecuted with crimes against the royal family. They will never get in my way of achieving eternal glory."

_So, that's it. That's what you're worried about._ "It seems like it. You are right as always, brother." Gladiola exclaimed, making her arrogant brother nod in agreement. "Now, I must keep going. I' am clearly disrupting your important meeting." She said and made her way towards the heavy wooden doors. And, before she left them, she added in a snide comment, "Oh, you might want to keep an eye on your private guards. They seemed to have developed a mind of their own."

Gladiola didn't wait for her brother's answer. All she knew was that her legs were carrying her as fast as they could to where the mortal men were imprisoned. And when she arrived there, she found Dante muttering some words she couldn't wrap her head around. And V? Well, it's safe to say he has somehow become a depressed blob of dark matter all gathered in one corner of the cell.

"I spy with my Devil Hunter eyes,... someone blonde and exquisite!" Dante muttered as if he was reciting a spell, then he looked at her with those tired and heavy - lidded eyes of his. The special cell could really make any creature tired and helpless. The mortals were not an exception. "Hey, babe. Wanna spend this lovely evening with me?" And clearly, Dante was beginning to have hallucinations.

Gladiola ignored Dante's weak advances and called V's attention. The dark - haired man looked up and as those deep green hopeless eyes of his stared directly into her soul, she said, "Do you really not see anything else but this cell? Look outside that window."

Both V and Dante did as she instructed, and for the first time in almost two days, they finally noticed the other castle not far from where they were.

"As you now know, this is not the only castle in this realm. This is just one of many." Gladiola told them. Hoping they would get the hint, she added, "Also, magic works outside this cell. I hope you haven't forgotten about that." She smiled and nodded as she witnessed how the men's facial expressions changed from hopeless to hopeful. She turned around and was about to leave when she decided to give them one last hint with such emphasis on each word. "Oh, and do try to behave yourselves tomorrow. You'll have audience with the _future Queen._ " She turned around just in time to see V's face light up. "Try not to say or do anything rash and unnecessary and just put your trust in the hands of the Sisters of Fate."

And with those last words, Gladiola finally retired for the evening. Or did she?

***

"V." Dante whispered, unable to sleep because of his brother's weird actions. The poet has been sticking his skinny arm outside the one small window of the cell and doing all sorts of gestures with it that Dante found awfully insane. "V, should you really do that in the middle of the night?!" The Devil Hunter sighed and closed his eyes. Leaning against the cold wall, he muttered, "Can they at least give me one slice of pepperoni supreme before they hang me to death?"

"No one," V exclaimed in a very tired and hoarse voice. " ... is going,... to get hanged!"

And with all the demonic prowess he had gathered and focused into one spot of his body, which was his arm, he made one last attempt to give his wild idea a form, and lo and behold,...

... he was able to summon his avian familiar outside the cell, sixty or so meters above the ground.

The avian stretched his wings like he was just waking up from a deep slumber and allowed his power to run through his blue - feathered body.

"And who the heck kissed me awake?!" Griffon squawked. "I was having a really good dream here!"

"I'm afraid to say that dream of yours will have to wait,... for a bit longer."

Griffon turned around and was shocked to see both his master and Dante in a prison cell before him.

"V! YOU LOOK LIKE A PRUNE! WHAT HAPPENED TO YA?! WHAT IS GOIN' ON HERE?! WHAT - ?!"

"Listen to me very carefully," V wheezed as he held onto the bars of the window for support. " ... I want you,... to go to that castle,... and find her."

"I'm sorry, who?"

"(Y/N)!" V almost moaned in agony. "Find (Y/N), tell her we're here. And tell her we're not going to make it."

"V, what the hell are ya blabberin' about? Ya have to be specific here, man!"

"Tell her those Elves are going to kill us tomorrow!" Dante, who just got up, wide awake, explained. "And if we don't do something, all of us will die! Is what V wanted to say." The man, then, collapsed on the floor, knocked out and unconscious.

"Please, Griffon." V asked, his eyesight getting more and more blurry. "We rely,... on you."

"Alright then, Shakespeare! I got ya! Trust this bird! I'll go get ya yer Princess in shining armor." Griffon reassured him and flew across the clear night sky towards the castle where the future Queen of the Elven realm await.  
  



End file.
